We Are Not Children (We Haven't Been For Years)
by Sealure
Summary: "I think we've waited for Aslan long enough." Valiance is so much more than a little girl's faith, and Justice will not sit silently as his Lord and King is spoken against. An AU of the war council scene in Prince Caspian, where Edmund and Lucy have something to say about Peter's pride and doubt. NO ROMANCE.


**I...I don't know where this came from. I was just watching _Prince Caspian,_ and it occurred to me that Lucy's not the type to sit idly by while the Lion is doubted. **

**For those of you who HAVE NOT SEEN THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN, STOP NOW.**

 **This starts right after the scene in the Table Chamber where the Royals and company are planning the raid on Miraz's castle.**

 **SPOILERS: Chronicles of Narnia, Prince Caspian.**

 **WARNINGS: Emotions.**

 **DISCLAIMER: Not a single Tree.**

 **UPDATE: 8/14/18**

 **THIS STORY NOW HAS A SEQUEL! It's titled GLINTS OF GOLD by rainingWolf and it is SPECTACULAR! You have to go check it out!**

* * *

 _That's what I'm worried about._

 _I'm sorry?_

 _Well, you're all acting like there's only two options: dying here, or dying there._

 _I'm not sure you've really been listening, Lu._

 _No,_ ** _you're_** _not listening. Or have you forgotten who really defeated the White Witch, Peter?_

* * *

Her question echoed in the air, and every eye was upon their King, awaiting his response.

"I think we've waited for Aslan long enough," Peter said shortly.

Caspian's eyes went wide, and everyone in the room seemed to be holding their breaths.

Peter started to turn away when Lucy's voice rang out again.

"He has spoken against the High King."

Susan's face went white.

Peter froze.

Edmund rose to his feet, face twisted with pain.

"Treason," Lucy said. Her face was as white as Susan's, but resolute. Her eyes were burning.

Caspian staggered, and it was only the quick hand of Dr. Cornelius that kept him upright.

Susan reached out, desperately grasping at Edmund's shoulder. "Brother…surely you wouldn't…"

He stepped away from her, to Lucy's side. They stared at Peter, who still had not turned around.

"He has spoken against the High King of Narnia," Lucy said again.

Edmund's face grew serious, and it seemed to all that saw him that he grew taller, and his face nobler, and his bearing more kingly. "You have spoken against Aslan, Peter Pevensie, son of John and Helen," he said gravely. "You stand accused of high treason. What do you plead?"

Lucy stood to her feet on the steps of the Stone Table, and a terrible light was in her eyes, and Caspian saw them as they must have been—powerful and beautiful. Kind and good, but to be feared in their anger. He saw Edmund, the Just King of the Western Woods, the fair and merciful judge. And he saw Lucy, the Valiant Queen of the Wild Eastern Sea. Kind and compassionate, but unforgiving in her wrath. As her brother judged, so would she carry out the sentence. If the accused were found guilty, they would find no mercy in the swift and terrible vengeance of the Valiant.

Peter turned around, and to Caspian's eyes he suddenly looked much smaller than his siblings.

"You would _dare—_ " he started, fury in his eyes.

"I am the Just of Narnia," Edmund interrupted him as though he had not spoken. "Your words and actions shall be judged fair and true. Your sentence will be deserving of your crime. But there is always mercy and forgiveness at the feet of the Lion. Even traitors may find love and compassion in the great heart of Aslan. As He is merciful, so shall I be."

"No, stop, you _wouldn't_ —" Susan stepped forwards again.

"I am the Valiant of Narnia," Lucy spoke over her, eyes still fixed on Peter. "As my brother judges, so shall I carry out his judgment. I am not merciful, nor am I forgiving. The Lion is merciful, but His wrath is terrible to behold, and all of His enemies are obliterated from the face of the World. I am the Dear Heart of Aslan, the Lioness of Narnia, and His will is my own. Should you prove to be an enemy of the Lion, my wrath shall descend upon you in His name."

Edmund held his head high, and Lucy's shoulders were straight, and for a moment Caspian swore that he could see crowns of blazing silver on their brows.

Peter was very white now, and he seemed to grow even smaller in the face of such magnificence. "I am the High King of Narnia—" he started.

Edmund held up a hand. "You have spoken against the High King, Peter Pevensie, son of John and Helen," he said again. "You stand accused of high treason. What do you plead?"

Peter lifted his own head, but Caspian saw no crown upon it. " _ **I**_ am the High King," he said stonily.

Lucy's eyes blazed. "Be mindful of your words, boy," she warned, and her voice sounded so much more ancient than it should have. "They will be held against you. Make no mistake, the Just may be merciful, but he is fair and true to the word of the Lion. You have already spoken more than enough. You will be judged accordingly."

Susan collapsed at their feet, and she, too, seemed to diminish before them.

"Son of Adam," Edmund said, eyes full of pain, begging his brother to surrender. "What do you plead?"

Lucy's eyes never wavered from her oldest brother's form, even as Susan clutched at her skirt, sobbing.

"Do not do this," she cried. "Stop this! You _cannot!"_

They were unmoved by her cries, but there were tears glittering beside Lucy's rage, and pain next to Edmund's compassion.

"What is happening?" the Prince finally managed to whisper to his tutor.

"The Silver Court of the Lion," he whispered back, eyes bright with awe and fear. "This was reserved for the most grievous offenders—the traitors who blasphemed Aslan himself. The Silver Crowns presided over it. Their older siblings held no power. The Just would hear the defender's case and pass a judgement, and whatever it was, the Valiant would carry it out. Once the Just had made his ruling, not even the High King could change it. Aslan Himself appointed the two of them as the judge and jury of the Silver Court, and they stayed true to His commands throughout their rule. It was widely considered to be the fairest and most just court in all the worlds. Indeed, the fairest and most just court of all time."

"Oh," Caspian said, eyes very wide. "But…Peter…"

"Ah," Cornelius gulped. "Yes. This is…a bit unexpected. The Golden Queen pleads his case, but the Silver Crowns are loyal to Aslan above all others. Even their own family. The Just will offer forgiveness and mercy, but they will find none in the Valiant. No matter what the ruling is, she will see it done."

"But she's still just a little girl," Caspian whispered, feeling his heart break for Lucy. "Surely she wouldn't be forced to—"

Cornelius gave him a dark look. "Valiance is far more than a little girl's faith," he said sharply. "She is the heart and soul of the Four. She walks through darkness to save their light without losing her own. She is the closest to Aslan of them all, and back in the Golden Age, no one had more authority than she when it came to matters concerning the Lion. Make no mistake, boy—you are looking at a Queen, not a child. Those eyes have seen more than you ever will. Look where she stands—on the steps of the Stone Table, where she waited all night and returned to the war on the back of the Resurrected King. Not even the Gentle dares to set foot upon the Table, even though she was there, as well. The Valiant carries the burdens the others could never bear, and in turn they take on the ones she is not capable of. It is a balance, always. The oldest of them has disrupted it, and the consequences of that will be far-reaching, more than you could even imagine."

Caspian's heart hurt. "So they will do what must be done for Narnia and Aslan," he murmured. "No matter what it costs them."

His tutor nodded grimly. "As it has always been, so shall it always be," he said softly. "There is nothing the Silver Crowns will not do for Narnia—and for Aslan."

"I am your King," Peter roared. "You vowed your loyalty and fealty to _me!"_

"Yes, I did," Lucy said firmly. She met his eyes and he was the one who shied away. "I pledged my loyalty and my life to you, Brother, and those vows hold to today. You are my King, and you shall always have the loyalty of the Valiant and the allegiance of the East. But I swore to follow Aslan above all others, and that vow also holds to this day, and for the rest of my life. It is His word that I follow, before even yours."

The Just stood even taller beside her, and Caspian could see glints of gold in his eyes as he repeated his question one last time.

"Peter Pevensie, son of John and Helen. You have spoken against the High King of Narnia. You stand accused of high treason. What do you plead?"

* * *

 **...I'm sorry?**

 **I know I'm supposed to be working on Chap 3 of WJK, and Chap 6 of ILTL, but this little thing got in my head and refused to depart, so yeah.**

 **Have some angst.**

 **AND REMEMBER TO GO READ THE SEQUEL, GLINTS OF GOLD, BY rainingWolf!**


End file.
